Canadian dollar hits 14-month low as yield spreads widen

Kitco Media
By Reuters
Published:
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Reuters
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TORONTO, June 18 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar weakened to a 14-month ‌low against its U.S. counterpart on Thursday after the Federal Reserve's hawkish shift a day ago led to a wider gap between U.S. and Canadian bond yields.

The loonie was trading ​0.3% lower at 1.4135 per U.S. dollar, or 70.75 U.S. cents, ​after touching its weakest intraday level since April last year ⁠at 1.4146.

"Every major currency is down against the greenback as traders ignore domestic ​developments and follow rate differentials," Karl Schamotta, chief market strategist at Corpay, said ​in a note.

The U.S. dollar added to the previous day's gains against a basket of major currencies as traders ramped up bets on Fed interest rate increases this year.

Canada's 2-year ​yield fell 3.1 basis points further below its equivalent U.S. rate to a ​gap of 137 basis points, marking the widest spread since May 2025.

Falling oil prices and ‌trade ⁠uncertainty have also contributed to declines for the loonie, Schamotta said.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that the United States would do better without the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade and that he would prefer not to have a ​new one, but added ​that he was ⁠open to doing it.

The price of oil, one of Canada's major exports, fell to its lowest level since before the ​start of the Iran war at the end of February ​as an ⁠interim deal to end fighting, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease sanctions on Tehran boosted the global supply outlook.

U.S. crude oil futures were trading 1.9% ⁠lower at $75.30 ​a barrel, while Canadian government bond yields ​eased across the curve.

The 10-year was down 4.8 basis points at 3.372%, after earlier touching its lowest ​level since March 9 at 3.356%.

Reporting by Fergal Smith; Editing by Will Dunham

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